FOR THE last time this season, the Ateneo Men’s Lawn Tennis Team took the stage against the defending champions from the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Lawn Tennis championships on Saturday, March 17 at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center in Manila.
The Red Warriors were successful in their defense of the title, finishing off the Blue Eagles in three matches to take the gold once more.
The opening match was a single’s duel between UE’s Joshua Kinaadman and Ateneo’s AJ Rivero. Playing in his third game since becoming an active member of the lineup, Rivero was able to stand his ground against his skillful opponent, evening the match at three games apiece in the first set. Kinaadman managed to pull away, winning the next three games to take the first set.
His dominance carried over to the next set, as he blazed with a hot 0-4 start. The deficit proved to be too much for Rivero as he eventually dropped the match, 3-6, 2-6.
Determined to avenge the loss, the electrifying duo of Luke Flores and Erj Gatdula battled against Rogelio Estaño and RJ Saga of UE. True to their cause, the Blue Eagle tandem seized the first set, winning in a dramatic seven games. Crucial unforced errors by the Blue Eagles coupled with excellent team play from the Red Warriors then tied the match at one set each.
With the match on the line, Estaño and Saga displayed composure and raced off to a 3-0 start in the deciding set. Similar to the previous match’s results, the lead turned out to be insurmountable for Flores and Gatdula, as they fell in a heartbreaker, 7-5, 3-6, 3-6.
The last and final match of the day was a showdown between Ateneo’s Ino Canlas and UE’s AJ Lim. Serving as his squad’s lifeline, Canlas was unable to handle the national athlete’s relentless attacks, claiming just one game in the first set, 1-6. The second set would see the same result as the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) clinched the championship point, 6-1, 6-1.
[Championship Point]
Game, set, and match. AJ Lim (UE) def. Ino Canlas (Ateneo) for the UAAP Season 80 championship.
Final score: Ateneo 0 UE 3#UAAPTennis 🎾 pic.twitter.com/jgmt5KNrt4
— Gio P. Guinto (@Gio_TheGUIDON) March 17, 2018
During the awarding ceremony, Ateneo’s Bong Gonzales was bestowed with Rookie of the Year (ROTY) honors for his efforts as both a singles and a doubles player. The Blue Eagles concluded a phenomenal run with a silver finish, ending the careers of Canlas, Rivero, Anton Punzalan, and Vernon Huibonhoa on a high note.
Team-tie score: Ateneo 0 UE 3
First Singles: Joshua Kinaadman (UE) def. AJ Rivero (Ateneo), 6-3, 6-2.
First Doubles: Rogelio Estaño and RJ Saga (UE) def. Luke Flores and Erj Gatdula (Ateneo), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Second Singles: AJ Lim (UE) def. Ino Canlas (Ateneo), 6-1, 6-1.
